It has been recognized in the prior art that the rotor system of a helicopter or airplane can be fouled and disabled by use of a flexible cable or the like. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,285,789 (Woolley), an airplane trap is disclosed which consists of a parachute and a coil of resilient wire. The device is preferably dropped from airplanes at great height and a parachute is attached to one end to slow the descent of the wire which unwinds from the coil. Also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,339,921 (Fraser) is an antiaircraft projectile which includes a spooled cable, a parachute attached to one end of the cable, and a weighted member at the other end of the cable. The projectile is fired into the air with an appropriate time fuse to discharge the cable at the appropriate height. The parachute then opens and the cable unwinds as the weight pulls the other end of the cable away from the parachute. The unwound cable then drifts to earth.
While the above-identified devices have been disclosed for use with fouling propellers of aircraft, a device for fouling the rotor system of a helicopter has also been disclosed. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,294,157 and 4,327,644 (Stancil), a projectile deployed cable weapon system which is intended to settle on a helicopter rotor is disclosed. The cable of the device is designed to be shot into the air to an approximately horizontal position from which the cable then drifts to earth. In order to slow the horizontal velocity component of the cable, a drag increasing means is provided at the trailing end of the cable. The cable can be launched by a rocket or the like containing a submunition to deploy the cable.